Electrical heating apparatus.



Patented luly l, |902. J. R. UUAIN.

ELECTRICAL HEATING APPARATUS.

(Application led Mar. 10, 1902,)

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No. 703,970. Patented luly l, |902.

J. R. UUAIN.

E A RICAL HEATING APPARATUS.

Application filed Miur. 10

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

JOHN ROBERT QUAIN, OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, ENGLAND.

- ELECTRICAL HEATmc APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming 'part 0f Letters Patent No. 708,970, dated July 1,1902.

Application tiled March 10, 1902. Serial No. 97,619.' (No model.)

To all whom, ii; may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN ROBERT QUATN, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, residing at the Royal Colonial Institute, Northumberlandavenue, in the county of l\IiddleseX,Eng land, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Electrical Heating Apparatus,of which thefollowing is a specitication.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for applyingelectricity to heating` Water or other liquids in which the water ismade to pass near or against surfaces rendered hot by the passage of acurrent of electricity through them; and the objects of my improvementsare, first, to provide a simple device by which water is heated by acurrent ot electricity; second, to combine a cock for the water-supplywith a switch for the electrical current, so that when the supply ofwater is shut oi the current of electricity is simultaneouslyshutotf,andvice versa, third, to regulate the amount of electricity used and ofheat generated thereby. I attain these objects by the devicesillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis avertical section thro ugh a heater for electrically heating water orother liquid. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through AAB, Fig. l. Fig. 3is a vertical section, and Fig. 4l.- a horizontal section, upon a largerscale, through one of the heating-tubes. Fig. 5 is a broken side view,partly in section, through a modified form of one of the heating-tubes.Fig. 6 is a broken side view, partlyin section, through a furthermodified form of a heatingtube. Fig. 7 is a side view of a cock fordrawing off the water from the heater and ot the switch for the electriccurrent. Fig. S is a plan of Fig. 7. Fig. S) is a vertical sectionthrough a heating-tube heated by the passage of low-tension electricalcurrent through an insulated coil around it.

Similar letters referto similar parts th rou ghA out the several views.

In Figs., l and 2, a is a suitable vessel connected with an inlet orsupply pipe b for the water or other iluid and also with a suitableoutlet or dischargepipe c. In this vessel I arrange perforated plates ordiaphragme (l c, which are iixed at suitable distances apart, andbetween these plates or diaphragme is arranged a similarly-perforatedblock f, ot' cement or other like suitable material. The upper diaphragm(l is inclined toward the discharge-outlet, as shown in Fig. l. Theseparts are so arranged that the water or other fluid to be heated must inpassing from the inlet b to the outlet c ot the said vessel flow throughthe said perfor-ations. In the holes in the said block f, of cement orother material,^or between the said perforated plates or diaphragms Iarrange electrical heating-conductors of spiral,`helical, orother formin such a manner that the water or other fiuid will flow iu contact withthe said conductors or in contact with surfaces heated thereby.

In Figs. land 2, g g represent tubes iirmly fixed into the upper andlower plates or diaphragms d and e by nuts and washers, and in Figs. 3and et one of these tubes gis shown upon a larger scale. h is a tube ot'very thin resisting metal or alloy covered with enamel t' inside andout, the tubes h being connected with the supply of electricity ot lowtension by insulated conductors h and h2, so that they will becomeheated by the current While the water or other liquid to be heated ispassing through them. The current of electricity may be made to passthrough one, two, three, or more of the tubes, as may be desired.

Fig. 5 shows a slightly-modified form of electrical conducting-tube. Inthis case the inner metal supporting-tube 7L is corrugated from end toend externally with helical grooves, forming helices of one, two, ormore threads, three parallel threads being shown in the figure. Acorresponding number of helical conductors j j' ,i2 lie in the helicalgrooves, with the intervention of enamel or other non-conductingmaterial fi. The conductors are separately connected near their upperand lower ends with leads from the supply of electricity and the tubebecomes very highly heated and heats the water or other liquid passingthrough it. By means of switches of the ordinary kind the current IOOthus formed being either self-contained or being carried in a separatetube resembling fl, Figs. 3 and 4.

l arrange the tap or cock 7c, Figs. l and 2 and 7 and 8, for controllingthe discharge-of the water from the heating vessel (t in combinationwith a switch Z, so that the electrical heating-current is itselt turnedon or off or regulated as required simply by the operation of opening orclosing the said tap or cock.

The cock 7c, which discharges the water from the vessel c through aspout m, below which is arranged a drain and waste pipe n, is worked bya handle o, upon which is also fixed an insulated switch p, which as thehandle is turned passes overa series of contacts fr o" r2 r3, by whichthe passage of the heatf ing-current of electricity through the severalhelical or other conductors is regulated. rlhus in one position of thehandle o none of the electrical circuits will be completed and the waterwill not be heated, but can still run through the apparatus, beingdischarged cold. By then turning the handle partly around the currentwill be passed through a small number of the conductors in theheatingtubes. By turning it farthcrthrough a larger number of them andeventually through all of them while in one position both the cock willbe closed and all the heating-conductors cut out of circuit.

If electrical current of very low electromeiive force or tension isused, uninsulated cond uctors or electrodes may be used, and the wateror other fluid may flow in direct con tact with these conductors orelectrodes.

Fig. 9 shows a still further variation in the construction of theheating-tubes. d e are the transverse diaphragms between which the tube7L, through which the water to be heated passes, is arranged and iXed.'This tube is itself made of hard iron or steel of considerablethickness, and the electrical insulated conductorjis wound or coiledaround it, the passage of the electrical current heating the tube, whichforms the core of the coil, and thus heating the liq'uid which passesthrough it.

I am aware that prior to my invention electrical heating apparatus hasbeen made, in which the heat has been obtained by a current ofelectricity passing through conductors or electrodes, and l do not claimsuch a construction broadly, but

NVhat l claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. In an electrical heating apparatus, the combination of a vesselprovided with an inlet and an outlet, substantially parallel diaphragmsmounted in said vessel, a block, provided with vertical perforations,between said diaphragms, heating-tubes passing through the perforationsin said block, and means for heating said tubes by a current ofelectricity, substantially as described.

2. In an electrical heating apparatus, the combination of a vesselprovided with an inlet and outlet, substantially parallel dia phragmsmounted in said vessel, a verticallyperforated block of non-conductingmaterial between said diaphragms, heating-tubes passing through theperforationsiu said block` said tubes being composed of material whichoffers considerable resistance to the passage of electricitytherethrough, and electric connections leading to said tubesrespectively, substantially as described.

In an electrical heating apparatus, the combination of a vessel providedwith an inlet and outlet, substantially parallel diaphragms mounted insaid vessel, the upper surface of the upper diaphragm being inclined, averticallyeperforated block of nonconducting material between saiddiaphragms, metallic tubes passing through the pcrforations in saidblock, and electrical connections leading to said metallic tubes, saidblock and upper diaphragm being provided with a passage communicatingwith the outlet of the vessel, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN ROBERT QUAIN.

XVI' tnesses:

ALFRED G. l'RAr'roN, ERNEsr F. lio'runnciLL.

